Well, briefly continuing the digression, '97 was also the worst year personally I've ever had, for reasons best kept to myself.
But with Depeche Mode's Ultra, Bowie's Earthling, Jarre's Oxygene 7-13 and Numan's Exile, I thought it was a golden time for good music. Of course, had I been into John's solo material at the time, that would have just been the icing on the cake!
I suppose the reason I started this thread was to find out if John's "comeback" was hghly promoted in the press, or if the two albums quietly slid their way on to the shelves...